Leading the Goblin Mob
by RecklessGoblin
Summary: Krenko has been leading the Goblin Mob for many decades now. But he knows he's not the young goblin who set out to take on Ravnica. His life is reaching its end, and in his last few months, he wants to make a big impact on the city and the goblins that struggle to make a living. Staring Krenko, the Shattergang Brothers, Lazav, Jace and more! Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Krenko sat at his desk, doing paperwork. He hated doing paperwork, but he felt that he should comply with as many of those wretched Azorius laws as possible. That way, if any of his...not strictly permitted operations was, by chance, stumbled upon, he'd be able to look like an upstanding citizen in the face of the jury. That, combined with the well-known goblin status as "dumb," it would be very hard to convince a jury that he was behind such wrongdoings as black-market trade, hiring of thugs, detonation of buildings and theft. He hadn't needed to use that excuse yet, but with what he was planning, he might need to soon. Suddenly, Krenko was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his office door.

"Come in," said Krenko, pushing the paperwork aside. A young goblin entered the room. The kid seemed a bit pale was trembling. No doubt he was coming to Krenko for some money, and only because he felt he had no other choice. These days, asking for money from anyone in power could scare even the most brave of goblins, thanks to the Orzhov Syndicate. But Krenko was not the Orzhov, despite what many Goblins had been lead to believe. Krenko was determined to fix his image among Goblinkind before his time was up.

"Hello there," Krenko said, with what he hoped was a warm, welcoming smile. "Why don't you pull up a chair, kiddo." The youthful goblin did as he was instructed, but Krenko could see the fear in his eyes. "Now, what brings you to my office?"

"M-m-my f-friend, sir, h-he's sick. He needs medical treatment, but he doesn't have money. He told me not to come to you, said it'd ruin my life if I did. But then he got worse. I had to come to you."

"Ah, I've been down this road before. I, for one, know very well how much good medicine can cost. How much does your friend need?"

"20,000 zinos, sir."

"First, call me Krenko, everybody I work with does. Now, as for that money...well it is quite a hefty sum. Here's what I'll do. I'll give you the money, but after your friend gets better, I'll want you to do me a small favor. We'll work out the details later." The kids eyes widened in horror. 'Work out the details later.' Agreeing to a deal like that could very well be selling your life away, and the young goblin knew it.

"...Ok, sir-uh-Krenko. I'll do it." Krenko nodded, then pulled out his checkbook. He quickly wrote out the money, signed his name, then handed it the the goblin. "By the way, what did you say your name was?"

"Tugg, sir." Said the kid as he took hold of the check. As Tugg headed for the door, Krenko could tell the young goblin felt like he had just made a deal with the devil. But then Tugg paused, right before opening the door.

"Uh, Krenko, I only asked for 20,000 zinos. You gave me 25,000…."

"Did I, now. My mistake. Still, since you were so honest about my mistake, I'll let you keep the extra 5,000 zinos. I'm sure you can find something useful to do with it."

"Thank you, Krenko," Tugg said, a bit flustered. He opened the door.

"Oh, and Tugg, next time someone gives you a little extra money, I'd suggested keeping quiet. Most sources of money aren't as kind as I am. I hope your friend get's better soon." Tugg nodded his head, and headed out the door. Krenko went to his window and watched Tugg walk down the street with a slight spring in his step.

Krenko smiled, then turned back to his desk. But when he turned around, someone else was standing in the room. Or perhaps, it was something. At first glance, it seemed to be cloaked human, but upon closer inspection, it appeared that his skin was not fully attached to his body.

"Hello, Mr. Taz." said Krenko, "How can I help you?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello, Mr. Taz" said Krenko to the shapeshifter who stood before him, "How can I help you?"

"25,000 zinos. You really just gave away 25,000 zinos?" Mr. Taz said, with what sounded almost like concern. Almost. "I do hope you have something in mind for that boy"

"Oh, I do." replied Krenko, "I think I'll have him mail a letter to my sister next time he comes by." Taz just stared at Krenko. "You see, old friend, I'm getting old. Most goblins don't live as long as I have, assuming you can even consider the pitiful existence that most goblins experience 'living'. Goblins are the bottom of Ravnican society. Those who aren't members of a guild scrape a living doing menial labor. And, despite what the guilds claim, the few goblins who have found a place with either the Rakdos, Gruul, Boros or Izzet guilds become something much worse than mere workers. They become fodder."

"Indeed, and while this may be true, I fail to see how this has anything to do with the foolishness of giving 25,000 zinos to a random kid." Taz said cooly.

"Here's the bottom line. I'm planning something big, Taz. I'm tired of seeing how the guilds treat my kind, so I'm going to change that. But to do this, I need something that money alone cannot buy. I need trust. Unfortunately, thanks to the Orzhov, anyone who gives out money automatically loses that trust. That poor sick goblin was afraid of his friend coming to me for help. So, when Tugg comes trembling back to do whatever horrible task he thinks I'll ask in return for 25,000 zinos, I'll have him mail a letter. He'll be so surprised that I was so kind to him, that he'll tell his friends. Word spreads fast in a big city. It won't be more than a few months before the whole goblin race looks to me for guidance. That's when I'll make my move."

"Your a smart goblin, Krenko. But after this plan of your, you'll be broke. What will you-" Krenko held up his hand, then suddenly fell to his knees. He clutched his chest, his face pale. In moments, he was curled up on his side, gasping for air.

"Krenko..?" Taz seemed more curious than concerned.

"Right….hand...drawer." Krenko said between gasps. Taz was pulled open the drawer Krenko had indicated. In it were many, many vials of a strange, red liquid. Taz picked up a vile, then crouched down next to Krenko. Taz undid the lid, and helped Krenko drink the medicine. Then he waited. Color returned Krenko's face. He began to breathe regularly again. Slowly he stood up, leaning on his desk.

"You see, my friend, it doesn't matter if I'm broke after the dust settles. By then, I should be dead. I've seen many doctors, wizards and shamans. I have only a few months to live. But I refuse to lie down and die while goblinkind suffers at the hands to the guilds."

"Ok, Krenko, in that case, I wish you luck with your endeavors." Taz replied while a soft smile. "However, while you are still alive, I was hoping I could get your organization to help me with a job that is a bit more than I can handle."

"Of course, what do you need me to do?" Krenko said.

"You see, the Azorius have just established an outpost near the Rubblebelt. I need it destroyed."

"Is that it? I mean, someone with your resources should be able to get a few bombs planted, right?"

"True...but I trust your organization. Especially because there is another, small detail I forgot to mention. I need the job to look like the work of the Gruul. I know you have agents in the Gruul Clans. Perhaps they could help you."

Krenko's face split into a huge grin. "I know exactly who to contact"


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello, Mr. Taz" said Krenko to the shapeshifter who stood before him, "How can I help you?"

"25,000 zinos. You really just gave away 25,000 zinos?" Mr. Taz said, with what sounded almost like concern. Almost. "I do hope you have something in mind for that boy"

"Oh, I do." replied Krenko, "I think I'll have him mail a letter to my sister next time he comes by." Taz just stared at Krenko. "You see, old friend, I'm getting old. Most goblins don't live as long as I have, assuming you can even consider the pitiful existence that most goblins experience 'living'. Goblins are the bottom of Ravnican society. Those who aren't members of a guild scrape a living doing menial labor. And, despite what the guilds claim, the few goblins who have found a place with either the Rakdos, Gruul, Boros or Izzet guilds become something much worse than mere workers. They become fodder."

"Indeed, and while this may be true, I fail to see how this has anything to do with the foolishness of giving 25,000 zinos to a random kid." Taz said cooly.

"Here's the bottom line. I'm planning something big, Taz. I'm tired of seeing how the guilds treat my kind, so I'm going to change that. But to do this, I need something that money alone cannot buy. I need trust. Unfortunately, thanks to the Orzhov, anyone who gives out money automatically loses that trust. That poor sick goblin was afraid of his friend coming to me for help. So, when Tugg comes trembling back to do whatever horrible task he thinks I'll ask in return for 25,000 zinos, I'll have him mail a letter. He'll be so surprised that I was so kind to him, that he'll tell his friends. Word spreads fast in a big city. It won't be more than a few months before the whole goblin race looks to me for guidance. That's when I'll make my move."

"Your a smart goblin, Krenko. But after this plan of your, you'll be broke. What'll you-" Krenko held up his hand, then suddenly fell to his knees. He clutched his chest, his face pale. In moments, he was curled up on his side, gasping for air.

"Krenko..?" Taz seemed more curious than concerned.

"Right….hand...drawer." Krenko said between gasps. Taz was pulled open the drawer Krenko had indicated. In it were many, many vials of a strange, red liquid. Taz picked up a vile, then crouched down next to Krenko. Taz undid the lid, and helped Krenko drink the medicine. Then he waited. Color returned Krenko's face. He began to breathe regularly again. Slowly he stood up, leaning on his desk.

"You see, my friend, it doesn't matter if I'm broke after the dust settles. By then, I should be dead. I've seen many doctors, wizards and shamans. I have only a few months to live. But I refuse to lie down and die while goblinkind suffers at the hands to the guilds."

"Ok, Krenko, in that case, I wish you luck with your endeavors." Taz replied while a soft smile. "However, while you are still alive, I was hoping I could get your organization to help me with a job that is a bit more than I can handle."

"Of course, what do you need me to do?" Krenko said.

"You see, the Azorius have just established an outpost near the Rubblebelt. I need it destroyed."

"Is that it? I mean, someone with your resources should be able to get a few bombs planted, right?"

"True...but I trust your organization. Especially because there is another, small detail I forgot to mention. I need the job to look like the work of the Gruul. I know you have agents in the Gruul Clans. Perhaps they could help you."

Krenko's face split into a huge grin. "I know exactly who to contact"

Chapter 3:

Krenko sat onboard a public zeppelid. These large, flying beasts were the most common method of public transportation on Ravnica. Krenko often used them to get around the city, not because he couldn't afford better transportation, but because he was less likely to draw attention to himself this way. No one would look twice at a goblin traveling by zeppelid, but few wouldn't pause at the site of a goblin riding solo in an expensive carriage.

Krenko looked around the cabin. It was jam-packed; every seat was taken, and a few passengers had to stand up to find room. Among the many passengers, Krenko noted a goblin mother and her two children. Three children, actually. Krenko almost missed the small baby in the mother's arms. He smiled at the kids, but the mother glared at him.

Krenko shrugged to himself and turned his attention out the window. The zeppelid were passing the Rix Maadi, home of the Rakdos. He shuddered as he remember some quite terrible memories.

"Out of my way, Punk! I ain't gonna pay any fair!" A large Rakdos ogre had just entered the cabin, clearly drunk and quite agitated.

"Please, sir, the Zeppelid system needs money to keep things running. Besides the laws state-" the fair taker began.

"Oooh, the system needs money huh?" the ogre shook his fist, "do you need sixty stitches? 'Cause you will if you bother me again," the fair taker, clearly fearing for his life (and rightfully so), stepped aside. "Now, let's have some fun, shall we?" Most people remained motionless, but the goblin mother had pulled her children closer to her. The ogre noticed this movement, and gave a huge smile.

"Looks like someone else feels that this cabin is a bit too dull," the ogre made his way towards the family of goblins, grinning maliciously.

"P-please, st-stay b-back," the mother said, trembling in fear and clutching her children closer But the ogre continued advancing. Suddenly, the ogre reached out and grabbed the baby from the mother's arms! "Give him back!" Shouted the mother.

"Aww, but he's such a cutie. I wonder what he'd look like splat on the pavement," said the Rakdos ogre, chuckling to himself. Typical Rakdos, pointlessly violent and cruel. The mother was paralyzed with a combination of horror, panic and fear. She wasn't going to be able to stand up to the ogre, and even if she tried, it wouldn't end well for either her or the baby. Krenko looked around. The other passengers, while watching the scene with interest, seemed too cowardly (or smart) to challenge a drunken Rakdos ogre. It was up to Krenko. Besides, even in his old age and sick state, Krenko had a few tricks up his sleeves.

"Hey, you there!" shouted Krenko at the ogre, much to the shock of the entire cabin of passengers. He got out of his seat, and walked up to the ogre, who had turned to face Krenko.

"And what do we have here? Looks like someone wants to be a hero!" Said the ogre, boastfully. It was this drunk boastfulness that Krenko was counting on to get him and everyone else out of this alive. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Krenko. I run a cargo-shipping business." Krenko said calmly. The Rakdos hated anything calm. It just didn't agree with them. "But that's not important. What is important is this…" Then Krenko said something very quiet. So quiet that only the ogre could hear it. "...and so I suggest you give that baby back to his mother."

"Ha! You're quite a clever goblin, I'll give you that. But even I'm not stupid enough to believe that some guildless businessman, goblin or not, has a connection like that!" The ogre shouted. Not good. He was getting angry. Krenko looked out the window; the next stop was coming up, and on the platform was a small group of Boros Wojeks waiting to take down the ogre. But at the rate the zeppelid was going, the ogre would still be able to knock Krenko flat before help arrived. And, if that wasn't enough, Krenko was starting to feel dizzy. All this excitement was causing his heart to start acting up. He needed to buy more time.

"But what if I'm right? You kill me, and you'll invoke _her _wrath. Are you going to risk that. I might not be able to take you down, but _she _has the power to do so easily." This made the ogre pause. ogre were not bright, and, in his drunken state, it was clearly that thinking this hard was challenging. "Either way, you need to decide fast. Because this is your stop!"

"Excuse me, mister, but you're in violation of quite a few laws. Put the baby down, or we'll make you!" Said a Wojek captain, one of three to enter the cabin. Four more stood on the platform. The ogre was outnumbered and outmatched.

"YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!" With that, the ogre hurled the baby goblin into the hands of the wojek, then bolted out that door. He was gone before the 'Jeks knew what to do. Silence, followed by everyone getting off onto the platform. Everyone that is, but the goblin family, the three Wojeks and Krenko.

"Here you go," said the captain to the mother, handing her her child. She grabbed the babe and hugged the little goblin as if she'd never let go. Krenko collapsed into a seat, gasping. "No good deed goes unpunished, huh?" The captain said, turning to Krenko. Krenko didn't respond. Instead, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a vial of his red medicine. He quickly gulped down the liquid, then turned to the wojek.

"I'm just old. Can't keeping doing this much more." Krenko said, giving the captain a week smile.

"Well, from what I heard, you did a good deed today." The captain replied. "What's your name?"

"Krenko," the captain looked a bit shocked. "Yeah, I get that reaction a lot. I know I've done some bad things in my time. Somehow I've even made it to the Azorius top-ten most wanted. But that was half a life-time ago, for a goblin at least. I'm trying to do better, make the world a better place, you know?"

"More than you think. And I'm not one to judge based on past deeds. You really did a good thing today. If you ever want to join up with the boros, I'd be happy to put in a good word for you." The captain smiled, then headed out the door.

"Like hell," said Krenko, more to himself than to anyone else. Krenko got up and headed towards the door.

"Excuse me." Krenko turned to see the goblin mother approaching him. "Mr. Krenko. I just want to say thank you. Is there anyway I can repay you for what you did today"

"Don't worry." Krenko said, smiling for real this time, "I just don't like the guilds stepping on my fellow goblins. Have a nice day, Ma'am." And with that, Krenko left the zeppelid and headed towards Tin Street, where he had a meeting with some of his favorite agents.


	4. Chapter 4

Krenko walked down Tin Street. It was still somewhat early, so the marketplace was not crowded yet, though there were a reasonable number of shoppers trying to bargain before the midday rush began. The Tin Street Marketplace had always been a nice place to buy, sell and eavesdrop, but today, Krenko was in too much of a hurry to do any of those things. The events on the Zeppelid earlier had held him up more than he cared to admit.

Krenko approached a small restaurant with a sign saying "Borto's" handing in the window. Small in size, not in popularity, Krenko reminded himself. Borto's was a nice, cheap restaurant that one could have a nice meal at if one desired. It wasn't too fancy, but not too plain either. Krenko liked to do business over a nice plate of poached rukh eggs.

More importantly, though, Borto's represented achievement. Borto himself was a goblin who had come to Krenko for some money to keep the restaurant alive during a rough patch. Krenko had been more than willing to help, not just by lending money to Borto, by helping restock and even promote the restaurant. Together, they were able to make Borto's into the first and only goblin-run restaurant in city (or at least, the only one Krenko knew of). Borto's was indisputable proof that a goblin could be someone big in Ravnica, if only the guilds would allow it.

It was these thoughts of achievement that Krenko was focused on when he walked head-first into the locked front door of Borto's. After a brief moment of regaining his focus on his surroundings, Krenko realized that the sign in the window read "closed." Krenko turned around and look at the clock in the middle of the marketplace. No wonder the door was locked; Borto's wasn't going to open for another 18 minutes. Krenko sighed to himself then turned and began to head down the street to see if there was anything interesting on sale nearby.

"Krenko, is that you?" came a voice. Krenko whirled around to see the familiar face of Borto peaking out the door. "Ha! It is you, my friend. Please, please come in."

"Thanks, Borto. Sorry to bother you, I didn't realize how early it was." Replied Krenko, stepping through the open door.

"Don't worry, Krenko. You should know by now that Borto's is always open to you." Borto said. "Is there anything I can get you? We just got a recent shipment of bumbat, could I get you a glass?"

"Just water, thanks. Alcohol hasn't been agreeing with me lately." Krenko gave a mental sigh. Since his heart began to weaken, he hadn't had much to drink at all. A mug of bumbat could easily trigger an attack, and he only had one vial of medicine left in his pocket. He didn't want to waste it on a needless risk.

"Sorry to hear that." Borto said, stepping behind the counter to pour Krenko's requested glass of water. "So, what brings you here, besides water?"

"I'm meeting with some...friends of mine." Replied Krenko, taking a booth in the corner. He looked around the restaurant. There were various paintings and posters hung-up around the restaurant. One of which was a portrait of him and Borto.

Krenko, being lost in thought, he almost missed two burly goblins walk through the door. The Shattergang Brothers had arrived.

Krenko motioned to them, just as Borto brought over Krenko's water.

"Hello there. You must be Krenko's friends?"

"We are." Said one of the brothers. He was the taller of the two, and probably the smarter of the two. Krenko made this assumption based on the fact that the other brother never spoke. Ever.

Krenko had never learned either of brothers's first names, but the Shattergang Brothers had quite a reputation and had proven to be an invaluable asset to Krenko time and again. Not only were they master demolitionists, they had never been caught. Still, this particular job would push that statement. After all, as Taz had requested, the job needed to look like the work of the Gruul.

"Can I get you two goblins anything?" Borto asked, but the brothers shook there heads.

"Borto, could I have a plate of poached rukh eggs?" Krenko asked, not because he was hungry, but because he wanted Borto busy while he did business. Not that Borto was unaware of Krenko's position as leader of the goblin mob. It was just that the few people who knew the details of exactly what each of Krenko's jobs entailed, the better.

"Of course, Krenko," Borto replied, and headed off to inform the kitchen of the order.

"First, I want to thank you for meeting with me on such short notice-" Krenko began, but the taller of the brother cut him off.

"No need for pleasantries. What do you want us to do?"

"Well, since you put it that way...you know that new Azorius outpost? The one near the Rubblebelt?" The brothers nodded, "I want you to destroy it."

"Not that we don't want to do that, we hate those Azorius scum as much as the next goblin. Just, that seems a little to easy. What's the catch."

"Well, since of ask, I need it to look like the Gruul destroyed it." Krenko reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small piece of paper. "I have hear a list of all the goblins in the clans who work for me. You tell them I sent you, they'll be happy to help."

"Hmmm...I like this job. It's been kinda boring around here. This will be fun. You have our advance?"

"Of course," Krenko replied, dropping a small bag of gold coins onto the table. The brothers looked inside, then pocketed it.

"I think we have a deal. The outpost will be gone tomorrow." The taller brother replied, grinning. The Shattergang Brothers then got up and left the

restaurant. Krenko watched them walk off, and smiled to himself. Mr. Taz always had fun jobs for Krenko and his organization, and nothing motivated

the Shattergang Brothers like a fun job involving blowing stuff up. Krenko then relaxed, and waited for his eggs.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

(Author's Note: This chapter is going to give Krenko a lot of backstory. None of it is official. I just wanted to be clear on that. Also, the _Ravnican Runner _is not canon, either.)

The next morning, Krenko walked up to a newspaper stand. He grabbed the day's issue of _Ravnican Runner, _the paper that was widely considered the best on the plane. Krenko personally had nothing against the paper, despite it being an Azorius idea. While Krenko hated everything the Azorius stood for, he was glad they created an easy way for anybody to access the days news.

Krenko looked at the first page and saw exactly what he was hoping for. The headline read "Azorius Outpost Destroyed by Gruul Raiders!" Krenko quickly scanned the article, and happily found no mention of the possibility of an alternative culprit besides the Gruul. It looked like another job well done. The money from Mr. Taz would cover the cost of hiring the Shattergang Brothers as well a leave some extra to help further Krenko's own agenda. Smiling, Krenko put the paper down and headed down the street.

But then Krenko paused. Why did Taz want an Azorius building destroyed? Krenko had long suspected that Taz worked for the Dimir, the natural enemy of the Azorius. However, destroying an outpost was both too insignificant and too...blunt. The Dimir prefered subtlety to raw destruction.

Furthermore, whether or not the Gruul were blamed for the assault should mattered little to a Dimir agent. The Gruul existed generally outside the law (few Azorius arresters or Boros legionnaires were foolish enough to attempt to enforce law on a group of Gruul 'large enough' to take out an entire outpost.), so the Azorius could do little to retaliate. So why did Taz want the outpost destroyed. It just didn't seem like his kind of thing.

Krenko walked back to the newspaper stand, picked up the latest issue again and began to flip through it. Perhaps he was thinking too deeply into this. For all Krenko knew, Taz could just be a free agent who had no affiliation with the Dimir.

Krenko was just about to put the paper down, when he saw something. A small headline on the 12th page read "Izzet Experimental Device Stolen." Krenko's eyes widened. Perhaps this was the key. Perhaps the destruction of the outpost was just a diversion meant to draw attention away from whatever device was stolen. Of course, Krenko couldn't be sure. Still, he had contacts in the Izzet League. He'd be sure to give them a visit later.

"Krenko!" A voice came from behind him. A voice Krenko knew all too well.

"Hello, Klinka." Krenko said, turning around to face a short goblin in Rakdos-colored robes. "What can I do for you, sister?"

"This is not the time for small talk, Krenko. I heard that you use my name to fend off a Rakdos thug! You know better than to do that!" Klinka's, unusually pale for a goblin, was bright red with anger. "I have a reputation to uphold. As leader of the Krokt clan, I have as much power as any of my fellow blood witches."

"I know, I know. And my actions could have jeopardize your position of power." Krenko rolled his eyes. He'd had this conversation with his sister many times before.

"Listen Krenko. The Goblins that form the Krokt clan need a strong leader. They put their trust in me, and I can't let them down. And your actions-"

"My actions were to protect a family of innocent, _guildless _goblins. You may fight to protect the Krokt clan from the rest of the Rakdos, but I fight to protect Goblinkind from the rest of the ten guilds. Including yours."

"You think your some revolutionary? You think you'll be able to change how Goblins are perceived? What power do you have that can do that!"

"You'll see, once I've obtained it. But until then, I will not let you, or any other member of the guilds do what they did to Mom." Krenko turned to leave, but Klinka grabbed his arm.

"Don't bring Mom into this. She knew what she was getting into when she got on that stage."

"Sure, she knew she was going to be incinerated. If that's true, then why did she get up on stage to begin with."

"Because that's what the demon Rakdos demanded. He holds all the cards for us, so I need to be able to please him. Please, Krenko, just let me do that."

"My point exactly." Krenko said, yanking his arm away. He was feeling dizzy again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his medicine, then quickly gulped it down.

"If you want to be a revolutionary, fine. Just don't get in my way again" Klinka turned, took a step, then turned back. "And be sure to remember who supplies the medicine that keeps your heart beating." And with that, Klinka stormed off down the street, leaving Krenko alone with his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

Krenko stared up at the glamorous castle called Nivix. It was here that the Izzet guild worked happily away, all under the watchful eye of the dragon Guildmast, Niv-Mizzet. Despite having come to Nivix on multiple occasions to meet with his Izzet agents, The sheer…vanity of Nivix never failed to stun Krenko. Perhaps, Niv-Mizzet had placed a spell upon the place to overwhelm the senses, or perhaps the castle was just plain huge.

Krenko paused before entering Nivix. Thoughts of his argument with his sister were still on his mind, and he wondered if perhaps he should calm himself down first and come back tomorrow. Then again, who knew what Taz was working on. If Taz had been behind the theft of the 'Izzet device,' then Krenko needed to know.

With that goal in mind, Krenko walked through the gates of Nivix and up to the receptionist. The receptionist, however, was reading some book, and did not notice Krenko.

"Excuse me, miss" Krenko said. The receptionist, glanced at Krenko. "I'm looking for Kink. He's part of the Warmind initiative." (Note: Warmind initiative, a combined effort between the Izzet and Boros to create better weapons)

"Who are you?" The receptionist snap at Krenko suspiciously.

"My name is Krenko, I'm a friend of Kink's." Krenko replied

"Is that so? Forgive my skepticism, but, if you're a friend of Kink's, then you should know that Kink died in a lab explosion a last night" Krenko's eyes widened. Kink was one of Krenko's few Izzet agents, and the only one with a relatively high status (at least, high for a goblin) in the Izzet League, a. But more troubling was the fact that this had happened the same time the both the Izzet device was stolen and that Krenko had hired the Shattergang Brothers to destroy that Azorius outpost. It couldn't be coincidence that this was all happening at the same time.

"I'm sorry to break this news to you..." The receptionist said, turning sympathetic form the look on Krenko's face which she she mistakenly for shock at the loss of a good friend.

"It's always hard...to lose a friend. But Kink knew that working with the Warmind could be dangerous at times. I'm pretty sure he was working with explosives of some kind."

"Honestly, I'm not sure what he'd been working on. His obituary in the Izzet morning report was unusually vague about his work." The receptionist shrugged. "Anyway, is there anything else I can do for you?"

"What about Kink's brother, Zink. Can I talk to him?" Krenko asked. Unlike Kink, Zink was not part of Krenko's organization. Contacting anyone outside his organization about his business was risky, especially with Krenko's grand scheme on the horizon. If Zink went to the authorities, everything Krenko had worked for could be ruined. Still, Krenko needed answers, and he had no one else to turn to.

"Sure. He's two floors up and three doors down the hall." The receptionist said, writing Krenko's name down in the visitor log as Krenko headed for the stairs.

As it turns out, "two floors up" is equivalent to "six stories up." By the time Krenko made it to the third floor of the building, he was exhausted. Worried about the exertion on his heart, Krenko leaned against a wall to catch his breath.

After a few minutes, Krenko got up and walked down the hall. When he got to the third door, he knocked.

"Come in!" A voice shouted. Krenko opened the door to see a bubble that seemed to be charged with an electric current floating in mid air. A goblin was working some panels nearby.

"Are you-"

"Ah, give me a minute, good sir. I've got to adjust the polarity in order to keep this experiment in one piece." The goblin flipped a few switches and turned a few knobs. "Well actually thirty thousand. You know, it's really amazing how many energized bubbles I need to monitor creating a weird. Usually, all the particles are all moving around. I could go into details, but you'd probably not understand what I was saying. Most Ravnicans don't. It's too bad really, if you think about it. I mean, how little people know about the world we live in. Take, for example, the average house sink. I mean it's us Izzet who allow the water that comes out of it to get from the water reserves to that house. Fascinating, you know. If it weren't for good ol' Zadj Mitsmike all those years ago, we wouldn't have running water in our houses. And that's just one of Mitsmike's many contributions to Ravnica. Did you know…."This went on for about fifteen minutes. Krenko was about to collapse out of confusion and boredom when the goblin finally said"...And that's how Niv-Mizzet discovered that a lightning bolt is more dangerous when the target is submerged in water. Anyway, I'm Zink. How can I help you?"

"I'm Krenko, a friend of your brother's. I was quite shocked when I heard he'd passed away."

"Your Krenko? Wow, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you." Krenko was surprised by this. His agents should know not to discuss their dealings with him outside his organization.

"Well, I didn't know that Kink talked about me much." Krenko replied.

"On the contrary, I had no idea you two knew each other. But, I mean, your Krenko! Your that goblin that helps other goblins when they need it. What you do is a service to goblins everywhere."

"Well, thank you for that," Krenko replied, smiling. He was glad that Kink had not blabbed about his organization, but he was more excited that news of his work was spreading around the goblin community. Everything was going according to plan. But first, "Anyway, I just came by to say how sorry I was to hear about Kink."

"Thanks, but…." Zink trailed off, looking a bit concerned.

"But what?" Zink motioned for Krenko to lean closer.

"Despite what the reports say, I don't think that Kink's death was an accident."

"You...you think Kink was murdered?" Krenko was surprised. Not at the idea of Kink being murdered. That thought had already crossed his mind. What surprised him was the Zink thought so, too. "What makes you say that?"

"Well...I can't tell you anything here. Do you have a place that we can meet later."

"Yes, there's a restaurant down on Tin Street called Borto's. Can you meet me there tonight?"

"Actually, this weird is going to take me a while. You'd be surprised how hard it is to create a wierd. The programming of the neural-"

"Tomorrow night then?" Krenko said, cutting Zink off before he got too far in his ranting.

"What? Oh, yeah. Tomorrow night. Borto's. Got it." Krenko put a hand on Zink's shoulder.

"I promise. We'll get to the bottom of this." Zink smiled.

"Thank you, Krenko. It'll be an honor working with you. But now I really need to get back to this weird." With that, Zink turned back to his control panel, leaving Krenko alone with his thoughts.


End file.
